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geothermal energy

geothermal energy

4 3.8
Heat from under the Earth's surface that people use to make electricity and warm buildings
  • noun
  • /ˌdʒiːoʊˈθɜːrməl ˈɛnərdʒi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : energía geotérmica
  • The US is the second most blessed country in the world in geothermal energy.
  • sources of geothermal energy
  • use of geothermal energy

On one hand, he's he's not wrong in that windmills are a lot more expensive than things like natural gas, solar or geothermal energy.

Examples

  • With Danish support, the World Bank has created an energy program in Klaipeda that uses low-temperature geothermal energy to supply district heating.

    Academic text (1996)
  • We're the fastest-growing geothermal energy company in the U.S.

  • The goal is to have 10 percent of the electricity in the West coming from geothermal energy by 2020.

    Academic text (2002)
  • There is certainly no shortage of energy below the ground, called geothermal energy.

    Blog text (26)
  • In contrast to these other sources of renewable energy, geothermal energy comes from within the Earth itself.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Overall, the environmental costs of geothermal energy appear to be minimal relative to those of fossil fuel systems.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Icelanders use geothermal energy in two ways: for generating electricity and for heating.

    Blog text (2)
  • The Geysers use naturally occurring geothermal energy in the form of steam as a power resource.

    Blog text (25)
  • Power generation from geothermal energy is cost-competitive with most combustion-based power generation technologies.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The use of geothermal energy for heating homes is becoming increasingly popular around the world.

Surface Forms

Morphology

geothermal + energy

The meaning 'energy produced from heat within the Earth' is directly and compositionally derived from 'geothermal' (relating to Earth-heat) + 'energy' (usable power). Although the term is technical, the constituent meanings map transparently onto the compound and similar constructions exist cross-linguistically, so a learner who knows both parts can infer the full meaning.

Etymology

Geothermal energy comes from two parts: geo meaning 'Earth' and thermal meaning 'heat'. It gives a clear picture of heat coming from deep inside the Earth that we can use for power and heating, so the phrase means 'energy from the Earth's heat'.